Ball's 5 TDs lead Nevada past rival UNLV 63-28

RENO, Nev.(AP) -- UNLV coach Mike Sanford was still trying to
figure out what happened to his Rebel team on Saturday after
rival Nevada posted 773 total yards in a crushing 63-28 loss.

The figure was the most total offense by a Division I team so
far this year, eclipsing the 663 Florida totaled against Troy on
Sept. 12, according to the NCAA.

"I need to watch the tape. I can't answer that question,"
Sanford said when asked how Nevada did it.

"We needed to answer every score with a score and we didn't do
that," he said. "The game got away from us late. We didn't stop
them... There's no excuse. Give them all the credit. They played
well today."

Nevada reserve running back Mike Ball ran for 184 yards and the
first five touchdowns of his career as Nevada rolled up a school
record 559 yards rushing to claim its first win of the season
and fifth in a row over the Rebels.

"I give credit to the offensive line," said Ball, who carried 15
times and scored on runs of 10, 1, 32, 4 and 89 yards. "My
mother could have run through some of those holes."

The 559 rushing yards also was the most by a Division I team
this year, topping the 474 Air Force had against Nichols State
on Sept. 5, according to the NCAA.

Colin Kaepernick rushed for 173 yards and threw for 200, and
Lippincott added 170 yards rushing, ran for one touchdown and
threw for another on a trick play to Kaepernick for the Wolf
Pack (1-3). The team never punted but had to overcome four
fumbles in the game that was 21-21 at the half and 28-28 with
less than a minute left in the third quarter.

Mike Clausen, filling in for injured quarterback Omar Clayton,
completed 26-of-50 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown for the
Rebels (2-3), whose last winning season was in 2000.

It was the first time in school history three Nevada players
have rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game and the
first time a single player had five rushing touchdowns in a game
since Chance Kretschmer had six against UTEP in 2001.

Nevada coach Chris Ault, a former quarterback for the Wolf Pack
in his 25th season as coach, ran his career record to 199-94-1.

"This game was big because we were 0-3 and fighting for an
identity, both offensively and defensively," said Ault, whose
team has lost to Notre Dame, Colorado State and Missouri this
season.

"We all felt we were better that we showed this year. But 0-3 is
0-3. It's like we said all week. If there was ever a time to
stand up, you stand up in your rivalry game," he said.

Nevada went 80 yards on the opening series of the second half
and Ball ran 32 yards up the middle for his third score of the
day to put the Wolf Pack ahead 28-21. But on their next series,
Ball gave up Nevada's fourth fumble of the game and UNLV
linebacker Beau Orth fell on it at midfield.

C.J. Cox ran 23 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-28 after the
officials reversed a first-down call on fourth down to keep the
Rebels' drive alive.

The next series, on third-and-10 and with a UNLV blitz in his
face, Kaepernick dumped off a screen to Lippincott who went 43
yards to UNLV's 4-yard line before Ball went up the middle
untouched for another score and a 35-28 lead with 50 seconds
left in the third quarter.

After UNLV failed on a fourth-down attempt at Nevada's 43,
Kaepernick threw a 17-yard TD pass to Virgil Green to make it
42-28 with 11:21 left in the game.

Later, Kaepernick took the snap, pitched it behind his back to
Lippincott then slipped off to the end zone to catch
Lippincott's 6-yard scoring toss for a 49-28 lead with 6:59
left. Then came Ball's 89-yard touchdown to make it 56-28 and
finally Courtney Randall's 26-yard score with 3:04 on the clock
for the final margin.

Kaepernick ran for 105 yards in the first half - his seventh
time over the century mark in his career - as the Wolf Pack
opened up a 21-7 lead. But the Rebels forced him to fumble twice
- and Lippincott a third time - and Nevada was called for three
pass interference penalties as UNLV forged a 21-21 tie just
before the half.